• Understand the relationship of the nine planets in our solar system to the sun by creating a three-dimensional representation.
• Understand the planets relative size and their distance from the sun and the earth.
Preparation:
Purpose:
To introduce the ideas of our solar system and enrich their understanding of the world around them
Materials:
• Newspaper strips torn about an inch wide
• String
Steps:
• First I would divide the students into nine groups. Then I would assign each group a planet.
• I would then assign them a worksheet so they can get some background knowledge on the plants and our solar system. I would ask simple questions that they would easily be able to find in a science textbook or on the Internet. I would …show more content…
After the group has chooses a location, I would then hang the planet model to the ceiling using the string an d s clips and have the group attach their planet information worksheet to their model.
Closure:
Hands on activities are a great way for ids to retain new information as it makes it gives them something to refer back to. To help the kids fully understand the ideas in depth I would teach a short lesson going back over the planets we discussed and go more into depth than simply their color and how far away they are from the sun as the children would have taught each other earlier in the lesson.
Possible extensions on this topic: To explain more about the moon and how its apart of our solar system I would give students a chart on which they are to draw the way the moon appears each night for a month. As students come in each day and share their observations, tell them the name of the phase of the moon they saw. When the full moon is approaching, ask them to predict what the next phase will look …show more content…
Discuss air, temperature, landscape etc. Then I would ask the students what they know about Mars and talk about what it looks like.
Steps:
• First I would tell students that they are going to compare Earth and Mars and that were going to find similarities and differences between the two planets.
• I would then split the class in half. Having one side find out simple facts about mars and once group find simple facts about earth.
• I would have each child write down one fact on a sheet of paper. I would make sure there are no repeat facts and that they are facts that would make it easy to compare planets.
• I would have a large vein-diagram in the front of the classroom with an Earth side, a Mars side and a “similarities” side in the middle.
• I would have each child read their fact to the class and then decide where on the diagram it would go with help from their classmates.
• Following this activity I would have a brief discussion on the vein-diagram and we would discuss what traits would be good for supporting life and why other traits might make it